Labour’s £500m pledge to rid our decaying roads of potholes can’t come a minute too soon for motorists, but it’s good news for the repair trade.
The ABI (Association of British Insurers) told CAT that in the third quarter of this year, insurers paid out £2.9 billion in motor insurance claims – up 14% on £2.5 billion paid in the same period last year and pot hole claims undoubtedly played their part as there’s more than one million pot holes blighting our roads. And according to latest figures from the RAC, 20,432 claims were submitted to 18 council authorities last year; a massive jump from 8327 recorded in 2022.
As many unfortunate drivers quickly discover, it’s a costly accident, but just how expensive is it? Government statistics says the typical repair claim stands at £260 although the RAC puts the figure more like £460. However insurer Allianz, who apparently has shelled out more than £4.6m for 1266 pothole repairs, says a typical claim now stands at a staggering £4000 once the cost of parts and labour are factored in, causing as many as one-in-five vehicles to be written off as a result.
Moreover, it’s not simply the average decade old family car which ends its life down a cavity prematurely. Allianz claims that high-end cars are also affected, citing 225 vehicles deemed uneconomic to repair with some repair bills hitting £8000. But that’s almost loose change compared to the £53,000 payout the insurer forked out after a BMW 7 Series M-Sport policy holder hit a moon-size crater on an A-road while travelling at 60mph.
Wayne Mason Drust, proprietor of Midlands-based Accident Express thinks Allianz’s claims aren’t pie-in-the-sky. “A lot of it is to do with ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance Systems) which relies on spot-on wheel alignment taken from the vehicle’s centre point like never before and pot hole damage will affect this”. Many motorists, Drust adds, see only the visible damage, such as to the wheel and tyre, and wonder why their vehicle doesn’t drive like previously, probably due to wheel alignment and suspension issues not being addressed.
The complexity of modern multi link suspension systems, which are designed to progressively absorb impacts, are extremely costly to repair. “And with a typical BMW steering rack at around £3000, a £10,000 claim is not unknown and I should imagine that hitting a pot hole at 60mph will write off a new BMW!”
The Birmingham repair specialist further warned CAT that total losses are sure to become more commonplace particularly in the private sector where the average car age stands at close to 10 years and as a result are simply not worth repairing.
UK Car Body largely concurs, although spokesperson Devin Cavanagh admits that this major Bristol based specialist hasn’t seen any notable growth business due to pot hole damage. However, Cavanagh agrees that it’s quite likely that this is simply because unfortunate afflicted drivers are simply replacing only the visible components rather than opting for a proper check up for fear of losing their no claims bonuses. “Most insurance excesses are around £500 which covers the cost of a new tyre and wheel”, he says. So should it come as any surprise that around 40% of cars are carrying some degree of suspension damage, according to AA figures?
Cavanagh says it’s here where the small garage holds the aces; replacing damaged struts and broken springs and carrying out a basic wheel alignment check and reset. However like Drust, Cavanagh emphasises that only a full four wheel alignment service can provide a total repair, especially on ADAS-equipped vehicles.
But you don’t need to bust a wheel or tyre to put the geometry out of kilter. Kwik-Fit claims the thick end of five million cars are driving around with wonky wheels. Worryingly, alignment equipment manufacturer AES (Automotive Equipment Solutions) claims two-thirds of large CVs (and trailers) are out of true.
Is it time, then, that we follow in New Zealand’s tyre tracks and make wheel alignment part of the MOT examination? Labour MP Jo White thinks so and is pushing for the change, according to Tyre Trade news, although she sees it chiefly as a green rather than road safety issue.
“Our roads are blighted by potholes and it is astonishing to see the problems they cause”, comments Allianz UK claims director Caroline Johnson. “Many incidents result in damaged wheels, wrecked suspension and misaligned bodywork. In one in five cases the damage is so severe and structural that it is not worth the cost of trying to repair the car. “It’s a huge waste, and these costs feed back into the insurance premiums that many motorists are struggling to pay.”
Paul Dowling, operations director of Auto Body Professionals (a club which has over 2500 individual members, comprising bodyshop owners/mangers, estimators, senior insurance and accident management professionals, trade body and supplier personnel) says that while Allianz UK example is very much in the minority – unless striking a pot hole further resulted in a road traffic accident – the ABP Club agrees that motorists don’t appreciate the sheer cost of a claim once hire cars etc are factored in.
This is particularly pertinent with several Chinese EVs which, in the eyes of jittery British insurers, can be practically uninsurable due to their sheer cost and complexity of repairs. But, stresses Martyn Rowley, executive director of the National Body Repair Association, that’s not down to the car but more because the makers haven’t quite grasped how the UK insurance industry clicks just yet.
“Over here we may just replace a dented wing but in China the entire side of the body may be changed plus parts supply isn’t great”. Accident Express’ Drust puts it down to Chinese makers wanting to make all their profit upfront on vehicle sales rather than the traditional practice of making money on after-service and replacement parts.
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